A legally binding agreement with Pristina will have to be negotiated, agreed and concluded several years ahead of accession. The EU will also want to see full implementation of this agreement before Serbia can join – Christian Danielsson

U.S. President Trump’s decision to relocate the U.S. Embassy in Israel to Jerusalem violates more than eighty UN Security Council Resolutions and more than a thousand UN General Assembly resolutions in which the USA participated and with which it agreed. All those resolutions consider Jerusalem an occupied territory – Mohammed K.M. Nabhan

It is today abundantly clear that fiscal consolidation produced tangible economic results. They can only be sustained through structural reforms, the success of which depends on renewed political and social consensus among key stakeholders, as well as our ability to put aside short-term, partybased and vested interests and enable the improvement of general welfare

The world is changing rapidly, with globalisation and digitisation significantly increasing the pace of our lives and bringing us closer together than ever before, as well as presenting profound challenges to our self-perception, politics, the economy, security and society

It is important that the country name of Serbia will be much more highly penetrated into the Japanese society due to the Prime minister’s visit. Back in Japan, there must have been a lot of news reporting about the visit. So, ordinary Japanese people will hear more on Serbia; that it is a peaceful country now, that the warfare is over and that they could now consider traveling or investing in Serbia now. That might bring a good opportunity – H. E. Junichi Maruyama

Today in Serbia there are only two Knights who are members of the Order: the Catholic Archbishop of Belgrade, H.E. Mons. Stanislav Hočevar, and Prince Alexander II Karađorđević. Establishing an Association of Knights of the Order requires at least 10 of them. There is an idea to set up an Order of Malta Friendship Group, to welcome potential future Knights and young volunteers who are ready to collaborate on humanitarian activities

Serbia this year entered the world’s top 10 countries for the issuance of electronic building permits, leaving some of the world’s most developed countries in our wake. And we have to preserve this achievement

The potential for cooperation between Indonesia and Serbia is limitless. There are many more avenues of cooperation that can be further developed and I hope they will be discussed extensively during the 4th Indonesia-Serbia bilateral consultation forum, which Indonesia plans to host in 2018 – H.E Harry Richard James Kandou

It is necessary for both Serbia and Montenegro to speed up their reform processes. Much has to be done, but how can you push the governments of these countries when you say that the target (to join) is 2025? This was quite an unfortunate statement, which I hope will soon be forgotten - Franco Frattini

We are still in a phase where even a soccer match, or a stone pelted at a football stadium, can provoke an immediate emotional reaction in politics and the media, jeopardising all progress and achievements made throughout a long period of time. Our job is to expand and deepen communication, find common ground for cooperation and focus on mutual interests – Ilir Boçka

An independent judiciary, a trust-based administration free of corruption and, last but not least, the value of having a free media are indispensable pillars for a country that wants to build a stable democracy – says Anders Christian Hougård

It is all about utilising local resources and entrepreneurial spirit, investing in education, intellectual capital, innovations, added value technologies and industries with the goal of creating a thriving and sustainable business environment – Pertti Ikonen

If the leaders of France and Germany can meet for a joint commemoration (The end of World War I), it shouldn’t seem strange for Serbia and Austria to do the same. We already showed in 2014 that it is perfectly possible to address such a seemingly controversial subject in a joint approach with our Serbian counterparts when we organised an Austrian-Serbian exhibition under the slogan “remembering history – creating the future” - Ambassador Johannes Eigner

The signal provided by the European Commission declaring Serbia and Montenegro as the "Front Runners" in a Balkan EU-integration context will serve to accelerate the arrival of foreign investment in Serbia, as well as integrating the country into global trade patterns – Jan Lundin

Charles Simić is among America’s greatest poets. In late August he spent two days in his hometown of Belgrade, whilst on his way back from Macedonia, where he received the "Golden Wreath of the Struga Poetry Evenings", one of Europe’s most important poetry awards, in recognition of his entire poetry opus.

Comprehensive normalisation (between Serbia and Kosovo) implies that both sides will not undertake actions which might stop or seriously hinder the development of the other. For the development of Kosovo and the region it will be important for it to gradually join international organisations – Axel Dittmann

This government is continuing to build on the foundations set by its predecessor and opening new doors for economic growth through the digitisation process. This is a key condition that will enable faster growth in the competitiveness of the economy and more innovations, and a different relationship between the state and its citizens

Since its establishment in 2002, the Foreign Investors Council has remained faithful to its principles - transparency, equality and predictability. Today, as in the past, the FIC promotes a predictable and clear business environment that provides equal opportunities for all, as well as sound business ethics

The NBS results of the last five years and the stability achieved are important for the economy, investors, and everyone in Serbia, since we have helped create a more stimulative business environment, and contributed to reducing risk premiums to the lowest level and improving the credit rating of our country

In recent years, Serbia’s reform-minded government has made great strides, as evidenced by macroeconomic indicators. The government deficit is back in control, GDP is growing again at three per cent per year, and international credit rating agencies are upgrading its status. As the European economic crisis seems to be abating, with the ECB even talking of winding down quantitative easing, this will also further strengthen the rebound of the Serbian economy

An economist by training, Swiss Ambassador H.E. Philippe Guex monitors Serbia’s economic reforms with particular attention and claims that the biggest successes in the European integration process have been made on the macroeconomic front.

The pace of negotiations depends on the progress countries make in implementing the necessary reforms. Quality goes before speed, but I always say that it is good to be ambitious. The Berlin Process serves to drive that reform programme forward, always with a view to strengthening each country’s preparations to meet their European Integration ambitions – Johannes Hahn, European Commissioner for Regional Policy & Enlargement

One of the main priorities of Bulgaria’s presidency of the EU will be supporting the Western Balkan countries and the preparation process for EU enlargement. Serbia’s EU perspective is clear, but membership depends primarily on the speed of reforms in this country - Radko Vlaykov, Bulgarian Ambassador to Serbia

Western Balkan countries which genuinely want to belong to the EU, and share and defend its basic values and political objectives, are being offered ample opportunities for implementing such a policy. The statement by German Foreign Minister, Sigmar Gabriel, on a “Berlin Process reloaded” is only the latest example of the willingness of the EU and member states to continue extending a helping hand to those committed to the EU project – Leo D’Aes

I think many analysts, and not just foreign ones, rightly warn that the situation could spiral out of control. Instability, and the political ideas that encourage it, is visible in several countries. Personally, I most fear the kind of unravelling that I vividly dub “the relocation of Syria to the Balkans”. However, I hope there will be enough wisdom to avoid any scenario in which the wider region would again experience armed conflict and violence – says former Croatian President Ivo Josipović.

Rebecca MacDonald has been the most successful businesswoman in Canada seven times over. First she had a private business which she sold, then she sold the second one as well, and now she has a public enterprise. In her line of business – and that’s energy – she’s the biggest in Canada today, though her business is much bigger in the United States, due to the size of the American market

The Netherlands was one of the founding members of what is now the European Union, 60 years ago this month. It has brought us prosperity and peace. As a small country with an open economy, the Netherlands understands like no other the interdependence of us and our neighbours, as well as the benefits that cooperation can bring

Membership of the EU and NATO is not directed against Russia or anyone else, but corresponds to the needs of society for enduring peace and stability, a wish to essentially and not only geographically belong to the world's most developed countries and cherish the values of Western civilisation. At the same time cooperation with Moscow and Beijing, especially economic cooperation, is the result of our efforts to develop our state and its infrastructure to make it accessible and attractive for new investment that will create new jobs – Duško Marković, Prime Minister of Montenegro

Accelerated reforms, particularly those in the area of improving the business climate, ensure that the opinions of business associations are more important than ever. The increasingly open and constructive dialogue between the government and business leaders, which also resulted in Serbia making continuous progress on the World Bank’s ’Doing Business’ list, compelled us to set aside space in the New Year’s edition of CorD for the comments of presidents of chambers of commerce and organisations, business clubs and associations that bring together members of industry, NGOs and representatives of the local community.